×
X logo

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox.

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

You may opt-out anytime by clicking "unsubscribe" from the newsletter or from your account.

Woman Offering Reward for Video of Wheeling Fight

City denies body camera video request

NIGHTENGALE

WHEELING — The girlfriend of a Wheeling man charged with maliciously wounding a Wheeling police officer is asking the public to turn over specific video evidence in the case.

Asheley Parsons of Wheeling says she hopes that some witness recorded video of the fight that occurred Aug. 13 outside of 716 Main St., between Nightengale and a Wheeling police officer.

“I would like to offer a $100 reward to anybody who can come forth with a video showing, specifically, officer Ruby and Greg fighting,” said Parsons, who was not at the scene that night, but who has led the effort to dispute some police accounts of the incident.

During a press conference earlier this month, Parsons and the Ohio Valley Black Caucus, led by its president, Delores Wiggins, accused police of using excessive force in Nightengale’s arrest.

Nightengale was indicted this month on four counts of malicious assault on a law enforcement officer: one count allegedly for punching Ruby, and three for each time he allegedly bit Ruby, according to a criminal complaint. His trial, as well as the trial of Liza Nightengale, his ex-wife who faces one count of the same charge, is set for Dec. 19.

Parsons asks that any witness email video footage of the confrontation to her at parsonsasheley@yahoo.com. She said their identity will be kept confidential, if desired.

Earlier this month, The Intelligencer submitted a request to the city of Wheeling under the Freedom of Information Act for copies of any police body camera footage from the Aug. 13 incident.

City Solicitor Rosemary Humway-Warmuth responded by mailed letter, denying the request. Her letter fails to mention body cameras directly, but instead refers to the newspaper’s request only as “the document(s) you seek … .” She states the city would not send “investigation reports and associated documents,” because the incident is still under investigation.

“The documents you seek are exempt from disclosure pursuant to West Virginia Code … as a record of the City of Wheeling Police Department concerning a current detection and investigation of a crime.”

Police and Nightengale’s supporters differ on their versions of the Aug. 13 event. For example, Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said Ruby used a stun gun only once during the incident, but Nightengale’s mother and aunt, who said they were at the scene, claimed during the press conference earlier this month that Nightengale was beaten by an officer who deployed a stun gun twice — once after Nightengale was already subdued, lying on his stomach, handcuffed and shaking from the effects of the first shock.

Schwertfeger said earlier this month that Ruby was injured, and that, when it comes to using a stun gun, officers “use force that is above and beyond the force that may be being used against an officer. If we are being struck or punched, our force would be a level higher than what is being used against us to get it under control.”

They also differ on the number of bystanders, the number of those involved in the fight, and whether there were “six females punching, kicking and screaming ‘black lives matter,’ at Officer Ruby,” as Officer Cody Schwertfeger states in a criminal complaint regarding what he saw when he came to the scene Aug. 13.

Nightengale’s advocates say that there were only three others at the scene — Nightengale’s mother, aunt and teenage cousin — and that none of them fought or said ‘black lives matter.’

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today